Lock for a door or the like

ABSTRACT

A door lock is disclosed as including a spring loaded bolt displaceable in a casing between normal and retracted positions, an actuating motor for affecting movement of the bolt by a connecting rod therebetween, and a pawl blocking movement of the bolt relative to the casing to define the normal position, and a reset slide for freeing the pawl whereby the bolt is biased to its locked position. In its locked position the bolt extends farther out of the casing so as to prevent a forced opening of the door as by a tool and/or deformation of the door frame.

Fischer et a1.

[ LOCK FOR A DOOR OR THE LIKE Inventors: Jean Arnold Fischer; KnudHansen Fynbo, both of I-Ijallese, Denmark Assignee: Daempa A/S,Knarreborg, Denmark Filed: Apr. 8, 1974 Appl. No.: 458,818

Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 13, 1973 Denmark 2032/73 US. Cl.292/167; 70/143; 292/l69.13; 292/335 Int. Cl. E05B 55/00; E05C 1/16Field of Search 70/143; 292/167, 169.13, 292/335 References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 7/1916 Schoell 70/107 [451 Oct. 14, 1975 1,411,059 3/1922Moore 292/335 1,557,374 10/1925 Soley 70/143 2,710,216 6/1955 Elchacker292/335 Primary ExaminerAlbert G. Craig, Jr. Attorney, Agent, orFirmOBrien & Marks ABSTRACT A door lock is' disclosed as including aspring loaded bolt displaceable in a casing between normal and retractedpositions, an actuating motor for affecting movement of the bolt by aconnecting rod therebetween, and a pawl blocking movement of the boltrelative to the casing to define the normal position, and a reset slidefor freeing the pawl whereby the bolt is biased to its locked position.In its locked position the bolt extends farther out of the casing so asto prevent a forced opening of the door as by a tool and/or deformationof the door frame.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. atent 0 a. 14, 1975 3,912,39

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LOCK FOR A DOOR OR THE LIKE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of theInvention:

The present invention relates to a lock for a door or the like and, inparticular, to such a lock of the type having a spring biased bolt whichis released or actuated manually as by a knob, key, etc.

2. Description of the Prior Art:

Conventional door locks of the biased bolt type generally include afirst bolt which has a beveled front edge and which is actuated by adoor knob, and a second bolt which is rectangular in cross sectionhaving flat front face and which is actuated as by a key. The purpose ofthe first bolt is to permit the door to be opened and closed without akey as by door knobs or the like. The purpose of the second bolt is toprovide an independent lock for the door which requires separate openingas by a key.

Other conventional door locks have incorporated a latching and a lockingfeature into a single bolt wherein the locking feature is accomplishedby a mechanism that frees or locks the single bolt in its latchingposition and then requires a separate key operation for openingpurposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is summarized in thecombination of a lock for a door or the like is constructed to include acasing, a bolt slidably disposed in the casing and being movable betweena plurality of positions such as latched, locked and retractedpositions, actuator means operable for moving the bolt from the latchedposition to the retracted position, means urging the bolt toward itslatched and locked positions, releasable blocking means disposed betweenthe casing and the bolt limiting movement thereof relative to the casingto define the latched position, and reset means slidably disposedrelative to the casing and the bolt for releasing the blocking meanswhereby the bolt is automatically moved to its locked position.

An object of the present invention is to construct a door lock in arelatively simple design capable of being economically manufacturedwhile at the same time being extremely reliable.

This invention has another object in that the latching and lockingfunctions of a door lock bolt are retained in a door lock having asingle bolt which is automatically moved between latched and lockedpositions.

Another object of this invention is to extend the bolt of a door lockfrom its latching position to a locking position whereby the boltprovides a safety lock to preclude forced opening of a door as by a toolor deformation of the door frame.

It is a further object of the present invention to construct a door lockwith an actuator in the form of a crank mechanism having a connectingrod connected to the door bolt by means of a ball and socket joint.

The present invention has yet another object in that the bolt of a doorlock has a safety lock position wherein movement in one direction isprevented by a casing abutment and wherein movement in an oppositedirection is prevented by a connecting rod stop which is freed bymovement of a crank mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation with partsin section of a door lock embodying the present invention and showingthe components in a bolt retracted position;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing the components in a boltlatched position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 but showing the components ina blocking or locked position;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section taken at right angles through FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial end elevation as viewed from the right of FIG. 4;and

FIG. 6 is a partial view of FIG. 4 but showing the bolt in the advancedlocked position of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the embodiment shown in thedrawing the lock for a door includes a bar-shaped, cylindrical boltcasing l which can be inserted into a hole or mortise bored in the frontedge of a door, not shown, and which has a front plate 2 that, when thelock is mounted, lies flush with and is secured as by screws to the edgeof the door. The front plate 2 has a guiding hole for the bolt 3 of thelock, which bolt 3 is substantially cylindrical with a diametercorresponding to the internal diameter of the casing 1. At its foremostend, the bolt 3 has a pair of side flat surfaces in the form of a planefront 4 and a back 5 parallel thereto with a beveled end surface 6inclined therebetween; as is shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the inclined endface 6 extends between such side surfaces 4 and 5.

An actuator mechanism includes a rotor 7 which is journalled in on anaxis which is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the casing land which is provided with a non-round hole for the shaft of anysuitable manual handle or door knob (not shown). US. Pat. applicationSer. No. 340,583 filed Mar. 12, I973, abandoned in favor of Continuationapplication Ser. No. 441,60l filed Feb. I l, 1974 which is now US. Pat.No. 3,853,340 dated Dec. 10, 1974 relates to a pressbutton-operated doorlock in which, in some embodiments, a crank mechanism is incorporated inthe movement-transmitting connection between the press button and thebolt. In the lock according to the present invention it is also possibleto employ a press button for operating the rotor, but it is equallypossible to use the lock when it is provided with an operating grip ofsome other kind,'particularly ordinary, barshaped door handles orrotatable knobs.

A spiral spring 8 is fitted around the actuator rotor 7 and is with itsfree end 9 led out through and secured in a hole in an end cover 10 inthe bolt casing 1. This spiral spring 8 constantly urges the actuatorrotor 7 to rotate clockwise as viewed in FIGS. I-3. The actuator rotor 7is designed with a pair of flanges 11 serving as crank arms with a crank12 which is connected to the bolt 3 by a rigid connecting rod 13 havinga ball head 14 accommodated in a corresponding ball seat in the rearmostend of the bolt 3.

As is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 6, a pocket 15 in the front surface 4of the bolt 3 is fitted with a pawl 16 that is normally biased outwardlyby a compression coil spring 17. The toe of the panel 16 projectsslightly in relation to the front surface 4 of the bolt and thereby canenter into engagement with the inside of the front plate 2 of the boltcasing, by which means the bolt 3 is prevented from advancing further inrelation to the bolt casing. In this position the pawl 16 enters arecess 18 in a reset slide member 19 which is accommodated displaceablyin a surface track in the front surface 4 of the bolt 3..The frictionalconditions are so adapted that the reset slide member 19 normallyreciprocates together with the bolt 3, but it may be spring-loaded inthe forward direction, that is to say towards its extreme end positionin the guiding track 20.

From its normal position, FIGS. 2 and 4, the bolt 3 can slide inwards inthe casing 1, either by the actuator rotor 7 being rotatedcounter-clockwise from the position of FIG. 2 into the position of FIG.1 by means of a handle (not shown) or by a pressure being exerted on theinclined end face 6 of the bolt when the door is closed without thehandle being used. During this movmement of the bolt, the reset slidemember 19 accompanies the bolt, and such two parts as well as the pawl16 consequently remain in the position in relation to each other whichthey take up in FIG. 4.

When the bolt 3 is brought into engagement with a striking plate 21,FIG. 6, the latter will retain the slide member 19 in the bolt casing 1,so that the pawl, 16 slides up out of the recess 18 and is by the frontpart of the slide member forced into the pocket 15. In this position thepawl 16 can pass out through the hole in the front plate 2 of the boltcasing and consequently permits the bolt 3 to jump forwards from theposition in FIGS. 2 and 4 into the position in FIGS. 3 and 6. Thefurther advance of the bolt 3 is now limited by the connecting rod 13entering into engagementwith a stop 22 located in the bolt casing, and,as will appear from FIG. 3, a tooth 23 on the connecting rod will engagethe stop 22 and prevent a backwardIy-directed movement of the connectingrod 13 and thereby also of the bolt 3. The bolt 3 is thus held blockedin the additionally advanced position, but the blocking is eliminatedimmediately upon commencing rotation of the rotor 7 counterclockwise asviewed in FIG. 3.

The construction is preferably so adapted that the releasable stop orthe pawl 16 secures the rotor 7 in the position of FIG. 2, in which thecrank 12 is located at a short distance from and on the right-hand sideof the vertical plane through the axis of the rotor, while the secondstop 22 limits the further rotation of the rotor into the position ofFIG. 3, in which the crank 12 is located at a short distance below thehorizontal plane through the axis of the rotor. With such anarrangement, the travel of the bolt 3 from the normal, latched position,FIGS. 2 and 4, into the additionally advanced blocked or extended lockedposition, FIG. 3, can be of almost the same order of magnitude as thetravel from the retracted position, FIG. 1, into the normal, latchedposition.

The casing 1 may be made of a simple length of tube, but in theembodiment shown in the drawing it is constructed of two parts, viz. afront part 1' and a rear part 1 (FIG. 1), which can rotate l80 inrelation to each other around the longitudinal axis of the casing. Thetwo parts 1' and 1" are interconnected by means of a pin 24 which islocated in the casing part 1' and engages a slot, not visible in theillustrated cross-section, which extends for a circular arc of 180 inthe part 1. With the pin 24 located at one end of the slot the lock isintended to be used with a right-handed door, while with the pin locatedat the other end of the 180 slot the lock can be used with a left-handeddoor. It should be pointed out in this connection that the bolt 3 isprevented from rotating in relation too the casing part 1',

but due to the ball head 14 it can be rotated in relation to theconnecting rod 13. I

The largest dimension at right angles to the axis of the actuator rotorconstructed as a crank mechanism may be smaller than the largestcross-sectional dimension of the bolt proper, and it will therefore bepossible to incorporate the actuator rotor with the urging spring in abar-shaped, cylindrical casing, the outer dimensions of which are onlyslightly larger than the largest diameter of the bolt. In such a case,the door lock can be mounted in a particularly simple way, viz. by beingsimply inserted into a hole or mortise which is bored in the front edgeof the door and which has a diameter corresponding to the externaldiameter of the bolt casing. According to the present invention it ispreferred that in the latched and retracted positions of the bolt 3, thecrank 12 of the rotor 7 is located on one and the same side of a firstplane which contains the axis of the rotor and which is parallel to thedirection of displacement of the bolt 3, and is located on the sidesrespectively facing towards and away from the bolt of a second planewhich contains the axis of the rotor 7 and is at right angles to thefirst plane. Such first plane may be viewed as a horizontal planeincluding the axis of rotor 7 and thelongitudinal axis of the casing l;the second plane may be viewed as a vertical plane including the axis ofrotor 7 and a vertical axis of the casing intersecting the rotor axis.In the position corresponding to the latched position of the bolt, therotor 7 is secured by a releasable stop 16 which upon release permits afurther, spring-actuated turning, by which the crank 12 passes'the saidfirst plane, but remains on the same side of the said second plane.

As long as the stop 16 is not released, that is to say when it is in itsactive position, it will prevent the bolt 3 from advancing further fromits latched position, and the inclined face 6 of the bolt 3 will, whenthe door is closed, without being actuated by the rotor 7 cause the bolt3 to be displaced backwards in the casing 1 while overcoming the load ofthe spring 8. Consequently, the door is able to latch in the normalmanner. However, this should not be the case when the bolt is in itssafety or extended locked position, and the stop 16 would therefore notbe released until the door is closed. In the preferred embodiment of thelock according to this invention, such release can be ensuredautomatically by the releasable stop being constituted by the pawl 16which is located in the bolt 3 and which is springloaded towards itsactive position (FIG. 4) in which, by abutting against the plate 2 ofthe casing 1, it prevents a further advance of the bolt 3 from itslatched position; the pawl 16 is movable into a released positionagainst the bias of spring 17 so that it clears the casing plate 2, andsuch pawl is guided by the reset slide member 19 which is displaceablein a surface track 20 in the bolt 3. In its latched position, the bolt 3extends out of the casing 1 and includes the recess 15 making room forthe advance of the pawl when the reset slide abuts the striking plate 21upon closure of the door. The reset slide member 19 will during theclosing of the door accompany the bolt during its backward movement,that is, movement inwardly in the casing, but when the bolt 3 is againadvanced under the spring load and thereby the associated striking plate21, the latter will retain the reset slide member 19 in the casing andthereby cause the pawl 16 to be retained in the bolt, so that the bolt 3can advance a further extended distance in relation to the casing 1 andthe striking plate 21. In this situation, viz. when the stop formed bythe pawl has been released, that is, is in its inactive position, thesecond 'stop 22 limits the further rotation of the rotor 7, and

this second stop expediently co-operates with the tooth 23 on connectingrod 13 in such a way that is prevents a backward displacement of theconnecting rod and thereby of the bolt 3. Consequently, the bolt 3 issecured effectively in the additionally advanced position or extendedlocked position until the connecting rod 13 once more clears the secondstop 22 as by actuation of the rotor 7.

The present invention has the particular advantage of accomplishing anautomatic locking operation by the simple and economical construction ofthe reset slide member 19. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5, the resetslide member 19 slides with the bolt 3 relative to the casing 1. As isshown in FIG. 6, the reset slide member 19 abuts the striking plate 21and causes the pawl 16 to be reset from the recess 18 into the pocketwhereby the bolt 3 moves relative to the reset slide member 19 to itsextended locked position. A suitable handle, bar, key or shaft is thenutilized to turn the rotor 7 counterclockwise as viewed in FIG. 3whereupon the connecting rod tooth 23 is moved slightly forward of thestop 22 to be released therefrom and the connecting rod 13 is movedrearwardly causing the bolt 3 to follow. When the bolt 3 is thus movedto its retracted position (FIG. 1), the pawl 16 will be automaticallyreset into the recess 18 by the bias of the coil spring 17. Upon releaseof the handle, the flat spring 8 will cause rotation of the rotor 7whereby the components are automatically returned to the normal orlatched position of FIGS. 2 and 4.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many modifications,reversal of parts and changes in details, it is intended that all mattercontained in the foregoing description or shown on the accompanyingdrawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:

l. A lock for a door or the like, comprising in combination a casing,

a bolt slidably disposed in said casing and being movable between aplurality of positions including a latched positionn, an extended lockedposition and a retracted position,

actuator means operable for moving said bolt from the latched positionto the retracted position,

means urging said bolt toward its latched and locked positions,

releasable blocking means disposed between said casing and said boltlimiting movement of said bolt relative to said casing to define saidlatched position, and

reset means slidably disposed relative to said casing and said bolt forreleasing said blocking means whereby said bolt is automatically movedto its locked position,

said bolt having a beveled end surface inclined between a pair of flatsurfaces, one of said flat surfaces projecting out of said casing whensaid bolt is in its latched position, and both of said flat surfacesprojecting out of said casing when said bolt is in its locked position,and

socket means located in the said one flat surface of said bolt andwherein said releasable blocking means includes a pawl elementoperatively disposed in said pocket means.

2. A lock as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bolt has abutment meansadjacent one of said flat surfaces for engaging said casing to limitmovement of said bolt outwardly of said casing and define the lockedposition of said bolt.

3. A lock as defined in claim 1 wherein a coil spring is mounted incompression in said pocket means and normally biases said pawl elementout of said pocket.

4. A lock as defined in claim 3 wherein said reset means includes aslide element having a recess and wherein said pawl element has anabutment end disposed in said recess when said bolt is in its latchedand locked positions, said abutment end of said pawl element being movedout of said recess in response to movement of said bolt relative to saidslide element whereby said bolt is extended to its locked position.

5. A lock as claimed in claim 4 wherein said actuator means includes arotor having a crank element, a connecting rod having one end pivoted tosaid crank element, a ball and socket connecting the other end of saidrod to said bolt.

6. A lock as claimed in claim 5 wherein said urging means comprises aflat spring having a fixed portion and a coil portion coiled in tensionaround said rotor.

7. A lock as claimed in claim 6 wherein stop means between saidconnecting rod and said casing defines the extended locked position ofsaid bolt.

8. A lock as claimed in claim 7 wherein said stop means comprises a stopmember fixed in said casing and a tooth element on said connecting rodcooperates with said stop member.

1. A lock for a door or the like, comprising in combination a casing, abolt slidably disposed in said casing and being movable between aplurality of positions including a latched positionn, an extended lockedposition and a retracted position, actuator means operable for movingsaid bolt from the latched position to the retracted position, meansurging said bolt toward its latched and locked positions, releasableblocking means disposed between said casing and said bolt limitingmovement of said bolt relative to said casing to define said latchedposition, and reset means slidably disposed relative to said casing andsaid bolt for releasing said blocking means whereby said bolt isautomatically moved to its locked position, said bolt having a beveledend surface inclined between a pair of flat surfaces, one of said flatsurfaces projecting out of said casing when said bolt is in its latchedposition, and both of said flat surfaces projecting out of said casingwhen said bolt is in its locked position, and socket means located inthe said one flat surface of said bolt and wherein said releasableblocking means includes a pawl element operatively disposed in saidpocket means.
 2. A lock as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bolt hasabutment means adjacent one of said flat surfaces for engaging saidcasing to limit movement of said bolt outwardly of said casing anddefine the locked position of said bolt.
 3. A lock as defined in claim 1wherein a coil spring is mounted in compression in said pocket means andnormally biases said pawl element out of said pocket.
 4. A lock asdefined in claim 3 wherein said reset means includes a slide elementhaving a recess and wherein said pawl element has an abutment enddisposed in said recess when said bolt is in its latched and lockedpositions, said abutment end of said pawl element being moved out ofsaid recess in response to movement of said bolt relative to said slideelement whereby said bolt is extended to its locked position.
 5. A lockas claimed in claim 4 wherein said actuator means includes a rotorhaving a crank element, a connecting rod having one end pivoted to saidcrank element, a ball and socket connecting the other end of said rod tosaid bolt.
 6. A lock as claimed in claim 5 wherein said urging meanscomprises a flat spring having a fixed portion and a coil portion coiledin tension around said rotor.
 7. A lock as claimed in claim 6 whereinstop means between said connecting rod and said casing defines theextended locked position of said bolt.
 8. A lock as claimed in claim 7wherein said stop means comprises a stop member fixed in said casing anda tooth element on said connecting rod cooperates with said stop member.